Choices
by Pixey
Summary: A Ron/Hermione fic. After Hogwarts, coming to consequence with some of their actions *finally finished* I might edit or write some notes on it soon though


Choices

**Choices**

DISCLAIMER: The characters and settings mostly belongs to JKRowling - author of the Harry Potter series. Please don't sue me. The plot is genuinely mine. 

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**PART I **

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**Chapter I - The Beginning of the End**

A grey owl fluttered through the evening sky to Hermione, who sat near a desk covered with parchments in every corner. She impatiently took the envelope from between its beaks and opened it as the owl flew outside. 

Hermione's eye widened as she read the piece of parchment in the envelope. Staring in disbelief at the objects in front of her eyes. She felt her heart turn cold, and tears flowing silently down her cheeks. 

She had never seen her best friend Ron Weasley since they parted at the Kings Cross Station over three years ago, never spoke or received any letter from him after the fateful July afternoon, when Harry had perished on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Voldemort had ceased haunting the lives of witches and wizards all over the world for the first and last time.

Hermione shut her eyes, this was what she had dreaded all her adult life, and it was written there, on the three or four lines before her - Ronald Weasley was to marry Pavati Patil.

All her life she had loved Ron, but she never told him that, never let herself. And after Harry had died, she blamed Ron. She told him how he shouldn't have let Harry go to face Voldemort even though she knew that whatever Ron did or say wouldn't have stopped Harry to seek revenge on the murderer of his mother and father.

She now saw how these words would have wounded Ron. She owed him an apology at the very least.

Without a single more thought, she took some powder from the vase, threw it into the nearby fireplace and reading aloud the address on the envelope, stepped into the engulfing flames and vanished. 

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**Chapter II - The Conversation**

Hermione gazed onto the bright haired man sitting next to her.

"Ron, um... congratulations, you're getting married!"

"Yeah," a faint note of sadness in his voice.

"I just wanted to apologized Ron, for blaming you for Harry's death, you would never have wanted to do any harm to him."

"Forget about it, it really doesn't matter," said Ron quickly glancing onto the door. Hermione followed his gaze and gasped.

A three years old boy entered the room, his hair brightly coloured, his face covered in freckles.

"Dada..." he said.

With one appalling look at Ron, Hermione abruptly left. 

**Chapter III - Rewind**

The Dark Days. The days when innocent lives were lost, families separated, and there was no right, no wrong, no rules, no boundaries. 

Harry, Ron and Hermione were students in their final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, while the Dark Lord's powers were at its peak.

The Death Eaters captured Arthur Weasley (Ron's father), and that's when Ron's anger reached boiling point. And he and Harry set out to face Voldemort in his hideout, finally putting an end to the source of the pain and suffering the magical community had to endure for three long years. 

Hermione was oblivious to this, unaware that her two best friends were creeping out of their dormitories sneaking into the forest surrounding Hogwarts castle, one of them meeting his end there. 

* * *

"So you finally decided to face me."

Harry nodded, looking onto the distorted face, merciless red eyes and menacing lipless smile.

"So how's your little friend?" 

Harry looked at Ron, panting for breath near him. 

The man brought up his wand a little higher and muttered under his breath. A blinding flash shot out towards Ron. He screamed aloud as unbearable pain seized his body before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

It was daybreak before Ron stirred. Looking groggily at the scene around him, then catching the sight of Harry and Voldemort's bodies, he fully awoke. He walked towards Harry, his breath uneven, stopping next to him, closing his eyes and collapsed on his knees, which was too weak to support his weight. He looked at the scar, glowing intently on his friend's forehead, and the eyes, it was empty, hollow... it was dead.

Ron carried Harry's limp body to Hogwarts, bearing its weight on his strained back. Lord Voldemort's corpse still lay in the forbidden forest, no one dares to look or touch it. For the memory of the once powerful wizard, and the misery and torment he had caused others, still terrifies every living soul. 

* * *

Ron sat in the bar, drinking another bottle of alcohol. He couldn't believe Hermione blamed him for Harry's death, but maybe she was right, she always was, maybe Harry wouldn't be dead if he hadn't encouraged him. He smiled drowsily, though it too quickly faded. Remembering that he had lost his two best friends in the space of two days, he sighed. 

A girl sat next to him, he turned and stared sleepily at her, she smiled back. That girl was Pavati Patil. Ron was ignorant of that fact. In his drunkenness, he kissed her fleetingly, Pavati giggled then turned and looked at her friend Lavender, whose expression Ron could not see, then looking back at Ron seriously and taking his hand, steered him to a cupboard nearby, before shutting it with a bang. 

Little did Ron know, that the act which he performed during the time in the darkened cupboard, would forever be the basis of all his future miseries. 

**Chapter IV - Consequences**

Hermione sat on the wooden bench, digesting the words of Ron's tale. For a moment she blamed Ron for his actions, but she quickly turned this blame on herself. She wasn't there for her friend when he most needed her. 

"Why do you have to marry her?" Hermione thought aloud.

"Why do I have to marry her! Hermione, she's the mother of my son!"

"You could have ran away, I'm sure she'd be able to look after your kid anyway, I loved you Ron, why didn't you think of that?"

"I am engaged Pavati because I didn't want my child to grow up without a father. Not because I had any affections towards her.

Hermione looked up at Ron. "Who do you love then, if it's not her."

Ron turned his head, avoiding Hermione's gaze. "What does it matter who I love, I'm going to spend the rest of my life happy or unhappy with Pavati."

"It does matter, because I still love you, with all my heart and soul."

"Hermione, I'm getting married in weeks, I can't tell another girl that I love her."

"Then write it, I don't care. Please..."

"I'm sorry Hermione;" He looked away. "I'm sorry I got drunk, I'm sorry Harry died and I'm sorry I can't tell you what I feel, okay. There's not been a day in my life when I didn't wish I could mend my errors, didn't yearn to turn back the time and live my past differently... to make it up to you but I can't."

Ron looked up at Hermione as if in desperation.

"I have to live with my mistakes, I'm sorry if you have to too."

He walked away, leaving Hermione gazing back at his footsteps as he disappeared along the dark alleyway.

**PART II**

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**Chapter V – Goodbye**

Hermione sat alone, watching the new bride and groom dance on the glittering silver floor, wishing that she were the one dancing with Ron, laughing, chattering, without a thought in the world. A minister member approached her, smiling sympathetically. 

"Are you okay Miss Granger."

Hermione finally took her eyes off the dancing couple and looked towards the girl. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, what do you want" Hermione smiled weakly. 

He looked anxiously at her. "Look Hermione, I think Dumbledore wants to see you, why don't you go on Tuesday?"

Hermione thought and answered. "Yeah, I might as well, I need a break from this, I'd like to see Dumbledore again."

"There's a train leaving at Kings Cross."

"Yeah fine."

The minister left, and Hermione stood up and walked towards Ron. 

"Bye Ron."

He looked up and unconsciously touched her hand gently with his, before quickly taking his' off as if her's was made of hot iron and turned.

"Bye Hermione" he half whispered, as she walked out of the building.

**Chapter VI – Need**

Hermione looked at the magnificent castle and smiled. Hogwarts was her home for seven years. The best years of her life. 

"Would you like to come in?" said Dumbledore. 

"No, I've got something else to do first, would you mind if I go."

"Ah, I thought you would. No, I think its best if you do whatever you're suppose to do now." He smiled, his bright blue eyes twinkling.

"Thanks."

* * *

Hermione looked at the solitary grave, and placed some fresh flowers on the grass around it. She sat down on the meadow and took a deep breath.

" You know Harry, when...when you first passed away, people said that as time passed I would feel better, that I would be able to come in terms with your death Harry, but I never did. Part of myself was buried with you in that grave, the part which had the ability to hope, and not look at life as a torturous journey. But then you were gone. The light at the end of the tunnel, diminished. But Ron was still there, yes, I hated him then, but he was there. I turned my hope to him, I gave everything to him, and he vanished too, and took everything and rejected it. I have no hope now, I have nothing to live for. Have I done something awfully wrong, do I deserve to be punished as I have been."

Hermione sobbed, moving her arm across her eyes.

"I don't deserve this!"

Then as if for the first time, she stared at Harry's grave, a look of horror dawning upon her face. Then she ran into the depth of the forbidden forest, to the spot where Harry had first passed away. 

Two people were there under the glare of the afternoon sun. Hermione hid behind the tall evergreen trying to catch a glimpse of the strangers. One of the two faces was from her, while the other had momentarily turned to her direction. She could not mistake the pale face and hair. It belonged to a person she hated – It was Malfoy. 

Hermione waited there, hardly daring to breathe in fear of discovery. Then they were gone, Hermione tiptoed up to where they had been, and looked at the empty corner where Voldemort's remains had lain.

She ran back to Hogwarts with only the thought of revealing what she had discovered to Dumbledore. Fearing for the worst and hoping for the best. 

**Chapter VII – Explanation **

"There were two people in broad daylight?"

"Yes Professor."

"Then they must be desperated to get the corpes. Maybe...Maybe they want to bring back the dark lord, do you recognize any of the people?"

"Yes, one of them. He was Malfoy."

"Ahhhhh... Mr. Malfoy, he rather disliked Harry at school didn't he?"

"If you don't mind me saying Professor. Dislike is rather an understatement. But how could you bring You-Know-Who back?"

"Miss Granger, Voldemort could never die, as long as his mind is alive. Harry might have killed him, but one can never kill the mind, if Malfoy replace Voldemort's mind with his. Why, he would become Voldemort."

Hermione shuddered.

"Do you have any idea where Malfoy could be."

"Yes, this sort of spell can be only performed under the lunar eclipse. The next one is... tomorrow. Just near here. 

"I'll go."

"Be careful Miss Granger. I cannot stress this enough sometimes."

**Chapter IIX – A Chapter without a name**

Hermione paced back and forth across the room unable to concentrate on the stacks of parchment upon her desk. Fearing yet hoping for her next visitor.

A man stepped out of the fireplace.

"Hi," said Ron.

"Oh hi," said Hermione trying to sound breezy "I guess you know why you are here, it's really quite a long story."

"Two people in forest, one of which is Malfoy, decides to bring back You-Know-Who."

"Okay, not that long."

"So whatcha gonna do about it."

"A complicated spell, basically go inside the mind and sending the mind into oblivion. Only..."

"Only what?" said Ron looking at her suspiciously.

"Um... after you make the mind disappear, there is no mind, if that makes sense. Therefore you can't actually get out of it. You would disappear along with the mind."

"So who's gonna take the trip?"

"I am," said Hermione.

"You can't. I need you."

"No you don't."

"You don't understand. You see I think I know who the second person in the forest was."

Hermione looked at Ron puzzled, then the answer hit her.

"Ron, it can't be."

"I thought she was excited in a strange way, that night she made some excuses and went out. I followed her... It was probably my fault. She probably knew I didn't give a damn about her when we were married and that probably pushed her just the little bit she need."

"I'm sorry Ron."

Then the moment took hold of both of them, fusing them together in their troubles. Each unable to pull themselves away, to come to their senses. They were stuck in this new world. 

**Chapter IX - Choice¹**

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This chapter is written from the viewpoint of Hermione 

* * *

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****I stood at the porthole, Ron behind me. Closing my eyes, ready to step into it. When he muttered stop. I turned towards him. He knew there was no other way. No other way to stop the evil wizard from rising again. I looked at him again. He seemed to be torn. Then he smiled and walked towards me. Helding my hand and we walked together into the space. 

**Chapter X - Choice²**

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****This is an alternative ending, I stress this is no less plausible. Written from Ron's point of view. 

* * *

I looked at Hermione, unwilling for her to go, but facing no other alternative. I muttered stop, for what reason I don't understand even now. I could go with her... But somehow I stood rooted to the ground, she looked at me again, in an intent, hopeful sort of way, before turning with a sigh, and stepping into the porthole. 

So I lost her. So I saw her afterwards, in my sleep – a silent presence near my bed – looking at me with the same intent face – slowly fading into the swirling darkness.

* * *

**THE END**

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-The last lines are borrowed from Mr. Dickens (with alterations) - David Copperfield-Brilliant book

wat do u think. I'm a really slow typer which pretty much explains why I spent ages @this. I might edit this some day. Again please review & I'm open to suggestions and criticism. 

Thanx 

Pixey


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